UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | September 07, 2024

Letter to the Editor: ‘Dixie’ means southern hospitality

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   To me, the word “Dixie” means the quintessential of “southern hospitality.” Dixie is a word used to describe a more genteel world.  It harkens to a time when a person’s word was more binding than any legal contract and when neighbors took care of each other no matter the color of their skin. Everyone was welcome and treated with respect until they proved they did not deserve it. Sweet tea and honey biscuits were offered freely when you went to visit anyone. People were judged on the content of their character, not the color of their skin, political affiliation, religion or world views.

   In my experience, the only people that equate the word “Dixie” with racial disharmony are those who have never taken the time to experience the people of the southern region. Those people haven’t taken the time to understand that “Dixie” refers to a gentle state of mind, not to a politically-charged arguing point used to brow beat and subvert someone into thinking the same way as they do.

   “Dixie” has often been used to describe people as rebels. What is a rebel? Someone who does not blindly follow along with others simply because it is politically correct to do so. Rebels are those that stand up for the rights of all people regardless of color, religion or any affiliation.

 

Dave Gaspardo

Senior psychology major

St. George